The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Fruit => Topic started by: Orinlooper on August 08, 2019, 05:56:31 pm
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Just found an amazing wild plum tree. Some of the best plums I have ever had.
How long will it take to grow some trees from these stones?
I also want some fast growing grafted plum trees, I wonder which are the fastest?
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You can't be sure the stones will grow true. I'd guess 10years to fruiting wellGrafted varieties... will depend on rootstock if you research that
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As per pgk's advice, you don't want to be growing on from "seed" which will take too long and will not reproduce an identicle tree. Just take a load of healthy cuttings from the wild tree, preferrably the thickest of this year's growth, and stick 'em in the ground or a pot. The more the merrier in case it's not a ready rooter !! Do not try and propagate anything that has obvious defects/disease. (You can try propagate older, say 2 yr wood, but might be more reluctant to root.)
I've not done plum propagation yet, but I would suggest planting 8" cuttings leaving a couple of buds above ground. A bit of shade would be a good thing whether in open ground or in a pot: if in a pot, I wouldn't use too rich a planting medium. No harm in applying a rooting compound to the cuttings if you have any.
Don't worry about grafting onto a "known" rootstock yet: just let the cuttings take root and grow on their own roots for a while. If the wild tree is not too unruly or obviouly prone to disease, it might be good to just leave any new tree/s you grow-on on its/their own roots.
That said, if you feel need to graft your new stock onto something else (bought-in root-stock or an existing tree), I seem to recall that bud grafting is preferred method for plum and that would mean grafting summer/late summer months - so pretty much about now! Plenty of guides ont' web.